Proelium-class Supercarrier
Proelium Class: Battleship-class carrier Operators: Royal Commonwealth Navy, Republican Navy Mass: 5,436,845 tons Cost: 26,939,680,384 talents Engines: :Right Engine Rating (50,000) :Center Engine Rating (50,000) :Left Engine Rating (50,000) Thrust: 3 Weapons: :Type (Location) ::50 22.5/20 (F) ::50 22.5/20 (F) ::50 37.5/20 (L) ::50 37.5/15 (L) ::50 37.5/20 ® ::50 37.5/15 ® ::50 22.5/20 (A) ::50 22.5/20 (A) ::Type E Missile System (3 Shots at 150 Points) Fighters: 1,800 at 300 tons (5 Wings) Small Craft: 12 at 1,000 tons Cargo: 10,000 tons Crew: 9,302 Passengers: 200 Marines: 1,500 Extras: Thrust Option Overview The Proelium is one of the largest battleship carriers currently in Commonwealth service. The Proelium-class is critical to the success of planetary invasions, and ambitious commanders consider it a prestige command. Fast and reasonably well-armed, these battleship carriers accomplish their assigned missions with deadly skill. On the negative side, the Proelium is expensive to build and maintain, keeping the procurement rate low compared to other heavy carriers. Capabilities The Proelium is a classic heavy carrier design. Able to launch its entire complement of 1,800 fighters in 30 minutes, the Proelium is a respected opponent. Its five fighter wings can sweep a system clean of opponents, including battleships. What the Proelium cannot do is adequately defend itself against capital ships. Though it can handle limited fighter and small-ship attacks, against cruisers and battleships the carrier is vulnerable if its fighter wings are occupied elsewhere. The key difference between the Proelium and earlier large carriers is its mobility. The Proelium is fitted with Belenski StarFire 360 engines, which can reroute additional power to themselves, giving a capital ship the thrust of a standard frigate. A capital ship with increased thrust also has a larger maneuver sphere, making it a more difficult target to attack or defend against. This increased agility and large fighter complement make the class an exceptional weapons platform. The Belenski engines are also the source of numerous maintenance headaches. This has contributed to a substandard readiness rate. The fighter launch facilities are the ship's offensive arm. They are based on standard designs that are reliable and can handle any design up to 300 tons, allowing the Proelium to carry any fighter currently in service. The fighter bays have mobile walls, enabling ground crews to set up the bays into the configuration best suited to the currently assigned fighter complement. Both fighter and ground crews report favorably on the Proelium's roomy launch and recovery bays, in contrast to their usual gripes about smaller ships. The Proelium's weapon suite is a bit light for a heavy carrier. This is due to the engine thrust modification, which diverts a third of the power normally allocated to weapons. The weapons do a respectable job of defending the ship, however. The carrier does require escort vessels if it is to survive in a combat zone while its fighters are engaged. One of the Proelium's most interesting features is the large missile system, usually installed only on battleships. The monstrous Type E missiles are capable of inflicting grievous harm on even the largest vessels, and the Proelium can launch three salvos of these beasts. Designers installed the missiles at the last-minute to give the carrier some additional teeth. Defensive systems are standard for a vessel of this class. One potential problem area is the shield generators. The Harding-Burleson model is state-of-the-art but requires constant attention. If not regularly maintained, it is prone to malfunction. The Proelium's command and control system is one of the most advanced in the Commonwealth Navy. Based on the popular Argus 6000 system installed on the Shiva-class Battleships, the Argus is capable of handling all communications, from voice to image, for the carrier, its fighter wings, and escort vessels. The system ensures quick response to changes in orders and gives the commander a flexibility in combat that most would envy. The Proelium's large marine contingent also deserves note. Three times larger than the standard force assigned to most battleships, marines assigned to the Proelium are mainly used in an anti-boarding role. The number of marines was increased because of the cavernous fighter bays and flight decks. With 1,500 marines attached to the Proelium, the ship is well-protected against all enemy boarders. The complement also serves as a fleet reserve if needed for special missions. Deployment The Proelium is typically deployed as part of a carrier battle group or in support of battleship squadrons. The ship is used almost exclusively for system-wide invasions. When not involved in campaigns, Proeliums are commonly found in key systems, their fighter wings supplementing local system-defense forces. Category:A to Z Index Category:Ships Category:Republican Ships Category:Commonwealth Ships Category:Battleships Category:Carriers (CV)